A Scripta

Kiko had given Grim an idea, but as he lay in bed, he thought of one better. He got up, headed toward the grotto. He pulled out some valerian tea from the fridge and microwaved it to warm it up. He sipped it as he went to the magic room.

Grim pulled out a straw mat that he had used a couple of times before for meditation, so he could easily slip into that mindset. He normally didn't like etheric travel - stories he remembered from the Circle had scared him from it, of people who had left their bodies vulnerable and got them destroyed, or who were lost forever in the ether and their bodies wasted away. He had to get over his fear. He had to know.

Grim lay down on the mat and let the tea relax him. He closed his eyes and chanted in his mind, until he felt himself slipping into something beyond sleep, into a trance. He knew his body's functions had slowed, and he felt himself rise up from his body.

He couldn't sense an "up" or "down" direction. Instead he concentrated on Stefan, on feeling him near again. Then he felt himself almost "whoosh" in the air, hurtling through space faster than he'd ever flown before. The next thing he knew, he was in a huge gymnasium - set up like the Roman-type of gymnasium, with assorted pells and other training items. He could see Stefan, alone, battling pell after pell, running from one to the other, slashing and cutting with his fiery blade.

Grim was filled with such longing, and suddenly Stefan stopped. He looked directly at him. "Michael?"

*Stefan!* Grim didn't hear himself speak it, but actually felt the word leave him. His spirit rushed to Stefan and they connected - Grim was filled with pure love and devotion, and if his spirit could cry with joy, it would. Stefan dropped his sword and held onto Grim's spirit.

"What...what are you doing here? You're not dead..."

*No I came looking for you where have you been I've missed you please come back--* Grim also sent images, of Kalius telling him they were getting married, of when he had brought Dmitrius back using the spell, and feelings, of how he felt when all these things happened.

Stefan sent him love again, and said quietly, "I can't come back yet. I need to fulfill something for Michael. Once I do, my love, I'll be back, I swear."

Then suddenly Grim felt something close, something akin to anger. He looked around for it and saw a blond angel standing before him, dressed all in red. Grim stared at him, terror growing in him.

"What are you doing here?" the red angel thundered.


*I only came to find Stefan I haven't heard from him and I was worried and I was lonely and I miss him--*

"You are not his charge any more. Begone."

Stefan turned to the blond angel, his eyes filled with anguish, "Michael!"

That was the last image he saw, as Grim was thrown out of heaven, and came back to his body with a hard thump that gave him a horrible headache. He threw his arms up over his eyes, and remembered what Ryder had told him one night, "Stefan would defy heaven to be with you."

Grim had gotten his answer. As he picked up his mug and headed to the grotto, he knew now what he had to do.

He walked out of the magic room, and could hear talking coming from the new Roman baths that Rusty had built. It was 3:30 in the morning, so he knew who was there. At first, he was saddened, but then he lifted his head. Kalius was happy, fulfilled. He shouldn't deny him that and make him feel guilty. He brought Dmitrius back for him, and he should have expected this. He hadn't really lost Kalius, there was still love there, but a friendship, stronger than sex. Too many people in this group loved him. Kiko was right - what he thought was love was a "romp with friends."

He sighed.  He would wait for that pure love to come back to him.